70th Academy Awards


The 70th Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, took place on March 23, 1998, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles beginning at 6:00 p.m. PST / 9:00 p.m. EST. During the show, AMPAS presented Academy Awards in 24 categories honoring films released in 1997. The ceremony, which was televised in the United States by ABC, was produced by Gil Cates and directed by Louis J. Horvitz. Actor Billy Crystal hosted the show for the sixth time. He had first hosted the 62nd ceremony held in 1990, and most recently the previous year's awards. Nearly a month earlier in an event held at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California on February 28, the Academy Awards for Technical Achievement were presented by host Ashley Judd.
Titanic won 11 awards, including Best Picture, a number that is tied with Ben-Hur and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Other winners included As Good as It Gets, Good Will Hunting, and L.A. Confidential with two awards, and Character, The Full Monty, Geri's Game, The [Long Way Home (1997 film)|The Long Way Home], Men in Black, A Story of Healing, and Visas and Virtue with one. The telecast garnered more than 57 million viewers in the United States, making it the most-watched Oscars broadcast in history.

Winners and nominees

The nominees for the 70th Academy Awards were announced on February 10, 1998, at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, California, by Robert Rehme, president of the academy, and actress Geena Davis. Titanic led all nominees with fourteen nominations, tying the record for the most nominated film in Oscar history with All About Eve ; Good Will Hunting and L.A. Confidential came in second with nine apiece.
The winners were announced during the awards ceremony on March 23, 1998. With eleven awards, Titanic tied with Ben-Hur for the most Academy Awards in Oscar history. It also became the first film to win Best Picture without a screenwriting nomination since The [Sound of Music (film)|The Sound of Music]. Jack Nicholson became the fourth performer to win at least three acting Oscars. Both Nicholson and Helen Hunt won for their roles in As Good as It Gets, making it the seventh film to win both lead acting awards. Nominated for their performances as Rose DeWitt Bukater in Titanic, Best Actress nominee Kate Winslet and Best Supporting Actress nominee Gloria Stuart became the first pair of actresses nominated for portraying the same character in the same film.

Awards

Winners are listed first and highlighted in boldface.

  • James Cameron – Titanic
  • * Peter Cattaneo – The Full Monty
  • * Gus Van Sant – Good Will Hunting
  • * Curtis Hanson – L.A. Confidential
  • * Atom Egoyan – The Sweet Hereafter
  • Jack Nicholson – As Good as It Gets as Melvin Udall
  • * Matt Damon – Good Will Hunting as Will Hunting
  • * Robert Duvall – The Apostle as Euliss "Sonny" Dewey, a.k.a. "The Apostle E.F."
  • * Peter Fonda – Ulee's Gold as Ulysses "Ulee" Jackson
  • * Dustin Hoffman – Wag the Dog as Stanley Motss
  • Helen Hunt – As Good as It Gets as Carol Connelly
  • * Helena Bonham Carter – The [Wings of the Dove (1997 film)|The Wings of the Dove] as Kate Croy
  • * Julie Christie – Afterglow as Phyllis Mann
  • * Judi Dench – Mrs Brown as Queen Victoria
  • * Kate Winslet – Titanic as Rose DeWitt Bukater
  • Robin Williams – Good Will Hunting as Dr. Sean Maguire
  • * Robert Forster – Jackie Brown as Max Cherry
  • * Anthony Hopkins – Amistad as John Quincy Adams
  • * Greg Kinnear – As Good as It Gets as Simon Bishop
  • * Burt Reynolds – Boogie Nights as Jack Horner
  • Kim Basinger – L.A. Confidential as Lynn Bracken
  • * Joan Cusack – In & Out as Emily Montgomery
  • * Minnie Driver – Good Will Hunting as Skylar
  • * Julianne Moore – Boogie Nights as Amber Waves/Maggie
  • * Gloria Stuart – Titanic as Rose Dawson Calvert
  • Good Will Hunting – Matt Damon and Ben Affleck
  • * As Good as It Gets – Mark Andrus and James L. Brooks
  • * Boogie Nights – Paul Thomas Anderson
  • * Deconstructing Harry – Woody Allen
  • * The Full Monty – Simon Beaufoy
  • L.A. Confidential – Brian Helgeland and Curtis Hanson; from the novel by James Ellroy
  • * Donnie Brasco – Paul Attanasio; based on the book Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia by Joseph D. Pistone with Richard Woodley
  • * The Sweet Hereafter – Atom Egoyan; adapted from the novel by Russell Banks
  • * Wag the Dog – David Mamet and Hilary Henkin; from the novel American Hero by Larry Beinhart
  • * The Wings of the Dove – Hossein Amini; adapted from the novel by Henry James
  • Character in Dutch – Mike van Diem
  • * Beyond Silence in German – Caroline Link
  • * Four Days in September in Portuguese – Bruno Barreto
  • * Secrets of the Heart in Spanish – Montxo Armendáriz
  • * The Thief in Russian – Pavel Chukhray
  • The Long Way Home – Rabbi Marvin Hier and Richard Trank
  • * 4 Little Girls – Spike Lee and Sam Pollard
  • * Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life – Michael Paxton
  • * Colors Straight Up – Michèle Ohayon and Julia Schachter
  • * Waco: The Rules of Engagement – Dan Gifford and William Gazecki
  • A Story of Healing – Donna Dewey and Carol Pasternak
  • * Alaska: Spirit of the Wild – George Casey and Paul Novros
  • * Amazon – Kieth Merrill and Jonathan Stern
  • * Family Video Diaries: Daughter of the Bride – Terri Randall
  • * Still Kicking: The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies – Mel Damski and Andrea Blaugrund Nevins
  • Visas and Virtue – Chris Tashima and Chris Donahue
  • * Dance Lexie Dance – Pearse Moore and Tim Loane
  • * It's Good to Talk – Roger Goldby and Barney Reisz
  • * Sweethearts? – Birger Larsen and Thomas Lydholm
  • * Wolfgang – Anders Thomas Jensen and Kim Magnusson
  • Geri's Game – Jan Pinkava
  • * Famous Fred – Joanna Quinn
  • * The Old Lady and the Pigeons – Sylvain Chomet
  • * Redux Riding Hood – Steve Moore and Dan O'Shannon
  • * Rusalka – Alexander Petrov
  • Titanic – James Horner
  • * Amistad – John Williams
  • * Good Will Hunting – Danny Elfman
  • * Kundun – Philip Glass
  • * L.A. Confidential – Jerry Goldsmith
  • The Full Monty – Anne Dudley
  • * Anastasia – Music by Stephen Flaherty; lyrics by Lynn Ahrens; orchestral score by David Newman
  • * As Good as It Gets – Hans Zimmer
  • * Men in Black – Danny Elfman
  • * My Best Friend's Wedding – James Newton Howard
  • "My Heart Will Go On" from Titanic – Music by James Horner; lyrics by Will Jennings
  • * "Go the Distance" from Hercules – Music by Alan Menken; lyrics by David Zippel
  • * "Journey to the Past" from Anastasia – Music by Stephen Flaherty; lyrics by Lynn Ahrens
  • * "How Do I Live" from Con Air – Music and lyrics by Diane Warren
  • * "Miss Misery" from Good Will Hunting – Music and lyrics by Elliott Smith
  • Titanic – Christopher Boyes and Tom Bellfort
  • * Face/Off – Mark P. Stoeckinger and Per Hallberg
  • * The Fifth Element – Mark Mangini
  • Titanic – Gary Rydstrom, Tom Johnson, Gary Summers and Mark Ulano
  • * Air Force One – Paul Massey, Rick Kline, Doug Hemphill and Keith A. Wester
  • * Con Air – Kevin O'Connell, Greg P. Russell and Art Rochester
  • * Contact – Randy Thom, Tom Johnson, Dennis S. Sands and William B. Kaplan
  • * L.A. Confidential – Andy Nelson, Anna Behlmer and Kirk Francis
  • Titanic – Art Direction: Peter Lamont; Set Decoration: Michael D. Ford
  • * Gattaca – Art Direction: Jan Roelfs; Set Decoration: Nancy Nye
  • * Kundun – Art Direction: Dante Ferretti; Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo
  • * L.A. Confidential – Art Direction: Jeannine Oppewall; Set Decoration: Jay Hart
  • * Men in Black – Art Direction: Bo Welch; Set Decoration: Cheryl Carasik
  • Titanic – Russell Carpenter
  • * Amistad – Janusz Kamiński
  • * Kundun – Roger Deakins
  • * L.A. Confidential – Dante Spinotti
  • * The Wings of the Dove – Eduardo Serra
  • Men in Black – Rick Baker and David LeRoy Anderson
  • * Mrs Brown – Lisa Westcott, Veronica Brebner and Beverley Binda
  • * Titanic – Tina Earnshaw, Greg Cannom and Simon Thompson
  • Titanic – Deborah Lynn Scott
  • * Amistad – Ruth E. Carter
  • * Kundun – Dante Ferretti
  • * Oscar and Lucinda – Janet Patterson
  • * The Wings of the Dove – Sandy Powell
  • Titanic – Conrad Buff, James Cameron and Richard A. Harris
  • * Air Force One – Richard Francis-Bruce
  • * As Good as It Gets – Richard Marks
  • * Good Will Hunting – Pietro Scalia
  • * L.A. Confidential – Peter Honess
  • Titanic – Robert Legato, Mark Lasoff, Thomas L. Fisher and Michael Kanfer
  • * The Lost World: Jurassic Park – Dennis Muren, Stan Winston, Randal M. Dutra and Michael Lantieri
  • * Starship Troopers – Phil Tippett, Scott E. Anderson, Alec Gillis and John Richardson

    • Honorary Award

    Films with multiple nominations and awards

    The following 16 films received multiple nominations:
    NominationsFilm
    14Titanic
    9Good Will Hunting
    9L.A. Confidential
    7As Good as It Gets
    4Amistad
    4The Full Monty
    4Kundun
    4The Wings of the Dove
    3Boogie Nights
    3Men in Black
    2Air Force One
    2Anastasia
    2Con Air
    2Mrs Brown
    2The Sweet Hereafter
    2Wag the Dog

    The following four films received multiple awards:
    AwardsFilm
    11Titanic
    2As Good as It Gets
    2Good Will Hunting
    2L.A. Confidential

    Presenters and performers

    The following individuals presented awards or performed musical numbers.

    Ceremony information

    In December 1997, the academy hired veteran Oscar telecast producer Gil Cates to oversee the 1998 ceremony. "Gil has become the consummate Oscar show producer, consistently garnering top television ratings for the telecast," said AMPAS President Robert Rehme in a press release announcing the selection. "His shows are full of wit, charm and surprise." A few days later, actor and comedian Billy Crystal was chosen to emcee the upcoming telecast. Cates explained his reason to bring back the veteran comedian saying, "Billy's performance last year was spectacular. There is nobody like him." In an article published in USA Today he initially requested to Cates and AMPAS five months after the previous year's ceremony that he would like to take a break from hosting duties. However, pressure from the academy, Cates, and several friends and family members made him reconsider his decision. His sixth stint would make him second only to Bob Hope in number of ceremonies hosted.
    To commemorate the seventieth anniversary of the Academy Awards, 70 actors who have received both competitive and honorary awards appeared seated onstage together during a segment called Oscar's Family Album. Each former winner was acknowledged by announcer Norman Rose with the films he or she won for. At the end of the segment newly minted winners Kim Basinger, Helen Hunt, and Robin Williams joined them. This marked the largest gathering of former winners since the 50th ceremony held in 1978. The Academy also commissioned musician and composer Jerry Goldsmith to compose a new leitmotif for the Oscars telecast entitled "Fanfare for Oscar".
    Several others participated in the production of the ceremony. Bill Conti served as musical director for the telecast. Dancer Daniel Ezralow choreographed a dance number showcasing the nominees for Best Original Comedy or Musical Score. Bart the Bear made a surprise appearance during the presentation of the Best Sound Effects Editing award with Mike Myers.

    Box office performance of nominees

    At the time of the nominations announcement on February 10, the combined gross of the five Best Picture nominees was $579 million with an average of $116 million per film. Titanic was the highest earner among the Best Picture nominees with $338.7 million in domestic box office receipts. The film was followed by As Good as It Gets, Good Will Hunting, L.A. Confidential, and finally The Full Monty.
    Of the top 50 grossing movies of the year, 40 nominations went to 15 films on the list. Only Titanic, As Good as It Gets, Good Will Hunting, and In & Out were nominated for directing, acting, screenwriting, or Best Picture. The other top 50 box office hits that earned nominations were Men in Black, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Air Force One, My Best Friends Wedding, Face/Off, Con Air, Contact, Hercules, The Fifth Element, Anastasia, and Starship Troopers.

    Critical response

    The show received a positive reception from most media publications. Television critic Howard Rosenberg of the Los Angeles Times lauded Crystal's performance writing that he "would earn top billing as that unusual comedian as artful at doing musical comedy as jokes." San Francisco Chronicle columnist John Carman raved,"It was the best Oscar show in two decades." He also gave high marks for the host, commenting, "But last night, Crystal was back in razor form." The Seattle Times television editor Kay McFadden praised Crystal commenting that "he possesses nearly impeccable timing and judgment." In addition, she noted that while the ceremony dragged on, "Last night was one of television's smartest live ceremonies in recent memory."
    Some media outlets were more critical of the show. Ray Richmond of Variety complained that the ceremony proved to be a "Yawner of an Oscarcast." He added that Crystal's "off-the-cuff one-liners sank faster than the great ship herself." Boston Globe television critic Matthew Gilbert bemoaned,"There was hardly a spontaneous moment during last night's Oscarcast." Film critic Carrie Rickey from The Philadelphia Inquirer lamented that the inevitable Titanic sweep "sank a telecast loaded with montages of previous years' Oscar highlights."

    Ratings and reception

    The American telecast on ABC drew in an average of 57.25 million people over its length, which was a 29% increase from the previous year's ceremony. An estimated 87.50 million total viewers watched all or part of the awards. The show also earned higher Nielsen ratings compared to the previous ceremony with 35.32% of households watching over a 55.77 share. In addition, it garnered a higher 1849 demo rating with a 24.90 rating over a 44.30 share among viewers in that demographic. It was the most watched Oscar ceremony in television history since viewership figures were compiled beginning with the 46th ceremony in 1974.
    In July 1998, the ceremony presentation received eight nominations at the 50th Primetime Emmys. Two months later, the ceremony won five of those nominations for Variety or Music Program|Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program], Outstanding Directing for a Variety or Music Program, Outstanding Lighting Direction for a Drama Series, Variety Series, Miniseries, or Movie, Outstanding Music Direction, and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Variety Series or Special.

    "In Memoriam"

    The annual "In Memoriam" tribute was presented by actress Whoopi Goldberg. The montage featured an excerpt of "Appassionata" from The Passage composed by Michael J. Lewis.